The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-08-03

beautiful bells seemed to mock Us def
antly from the narrow lodges of rock
which no human foot could safely
I tread
The atmosphere had darkened visi-
bly, as we ascended the hill. Black clouds
were coming up swiftly against the wind.
I As we neared the chasrn where the gen
tians grew the sky became everywhere
overcast, and there was that peculiar
stiffness in the air which surely heralds
an Alpine storm.
Buff Dalrymple was bending down
over the edge of the chasm, yainly at
tempting to reach tuft of gentians
which grew ON a ledge of the rock below.
Unable to gather them, she turned ap-
pealingly to me. tried to gather them,
but in vain. Even my long arms could
not touch their topmost bells.
al think | could get them for you,
Miss Dalrymple,' said Jack $ voice behind
Us. Let me try
". No, nor cried Buff hurriedly as
Jack, grasping a tough bow of a noun
tain ash which grew hard by, swung
himself on the ledge below.
The mountain ash-sill its ruddy glo-
ries nodding and cleaning under Nor
daunt's weight--had its roots firmly fix
ed amongst the rocks. II bore the strain
and Jack, letting 60 of the bough
stopped TO gather the coveted blue iiow-
ers.
Let me pick them myselfg cried
Buff from above, seized with some un-
eontrollablc impulse 10 let Jack run no
risks she would not dare. Catch, me,
Mr.. Mordauntl am coming 10y the same
way as you
Before or any one else could stop
her, the reckless girl had swung herself
otf the rock by the help of the mountain
ash, and in another moment stood with
Jacks arm around her. by his side
The ledge of rock was narrow. Below
il shrubs and undergrowth half hid the
caves from view. Some of the gentians
were already in Mor,iaunt's hand. saw
Buff stoop to gather the rest She rOse
with gcodly bouquet of the lovely flow
ers- The pair stood facing each other on
the ledge, and, rs the man offered his
bunch of gentians to the girl their eyes
met, and look - loving 50 tender,
flashed across Jacks face that no woman
on earth could ni-inierpret it.
Poor fellow Baf7s hazel eyes and
auburn hair were the last sights be saw
of this sweet earth. There WAS a thun-
dering clap like cannon's roar, then a
binding flash which fell to all appearan-
ees right in our midst There arose
around the chasm's mouth a cry Of
amazement and horror. As We stood
dazzled by the lurid blaze We heard the
sound of heavy bodies crashing through
the shrubs and mountain-ash trees that
fringed the sides Of the cave. We peered
down onto the ledge of rock. Neither
Jack nor Buff was to be seen.
"we shouted For some moments
there was noreply. Then at last We heard
Mordaunt's voice calling from the depths
below
Miss Dalrymple is bruised, but not
much hurt. Send nelp quickly, for | am
blind
What horrible chill those last words
81 II f.rrfsf...l at ha
eayern's mouth Some ran Oft for help in
one direction. some in another. The
Staifel and the klosterli were about
equi distant After an hours suspense,
assistance from the klosteri arrived
rope ladder was firmly fixed into the
ground and dropped over the edge into
the ave below.
Il was the first to descend and, as the
ladder was strong enough To sustain the
weight of only one man at a time, had
several seconds at the bottom of the
cave in which to view the situation
alone
~on messy boulder sat Mordaunt,
his arm around his companions waist
The blood was trickling slowly from a
wound in his forehead but of this he
seemed to take no heed. The girls hand
WAS clasped in his, her head was pillow
ed on his breast The tears were falling
one by one from her closed eyes, but
they seemed to he tears Of joy rather
than of pain. Mordaunt sat staring in
front of him, through me, as it were, not
at me. Then / knew that he was
blind.
What words had passed in that long
hour never asked, never knew but |
saw that Jack had lost his sight, and in
losing it had gained all that he most
loved.
Is there no hopeg said I, pres
emily, that his sight may be re-
stored /?
The English oeulists hold out no
hope, he replied; but there is clever
German doctor living at Lucerne who
has effected some wonderful cures. espe-
cially in cases where lightning has been
the cause of blindness. 1t is to be near
this doctor that the Mordaunts are here
now. Twice week Blind Mans Buff
takes her husband to Lucerne. She new
er leaves his side for moment, and she
anticipates his every wish. In a measure
she feels that she caused his blindness,
and she has given him a life's devotion
in atonement and in wifely love-
\ year later was passing through Lu-
eerne, on my way To Edgelberg, and OF
the Schweizerhoff | met beautiful Buff
Mordaunt once again-Butf, but no longer
Blind Mans Buff for the German doe
tor had achieved success, and Jack Nor
daunts eyes, after nearly two years of
darkness, We're beanling down ON his fair
young wife-and not upon her alone, but
also upon their tirst-born child
Flooring a Senator.
Senator Toombs was large pompous